Møller A P, Sorci G
Laboratoire d'Ecologie, CNRS URA 258, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Bât. A, 7ème étage, 7 quai St. Bernard, Case 237, F-75252 Paris Cedex 05, France Fax: (+33) 1 44 27 35 16; e-mail:
Oecologia. 1998 Mar;114(1):37-42. doi: 10.1007/s004420050417.
An insect preference for floral symmetry may be maintained because plants with symmetrical flowers, which are able to control developmental processes under given environmental conditions, also are able to provide more pollinator rewards than plants with asymmetrical flowers. Alternatively, insects may have an inherent preference for symmetrical structures and thereby impose selection for the maintenance of symmetry in flowers even in the absence of any pollinator rewards. We tested for an insect preference for radially symmetrical flowers by using horizontally placed units of four circular coloured flower models varying in size and symmetry. The shape and colour of the model flowers did not resemble any naturally occurring flowers in the environment. Insects and Hymenoptera, respectively (five species of Diptera and one species of Coleoptera) that visited the flower models clearly preferred symmetrical models over asymmetrical ones, and the ranking of visits to the models reflected a preference for large, symmetrical flowers. These results provide evidence for a preference for symmetrical flower models, even in the absence of pollinator rewards.
昆虫对花对称性的偏好可能得以维持，是因为具有对称花的植物能够在特定环境条件下控制发育过程，而且相比具有不对称花的植物，它们还能为传粉者提供更多回报。或者，昆虫可能对对称结构具有内在偏好，从而即使在没有任何传粉者回报的情况下，也会促使花朵维持对称性的选择。我们通过使用水平放置的四个圆形彩色花模型单元来测试昆虫对辐射对称花的偏好，这些模型单元在大小和对称性上有所不同。模型花的形状和颜色与环境中任何自然存在的花都不相似。访问花模型的昆虫和膜翅目昆虫（分别为五种双翅目昆虫和一种鞘翅目昆虫）明显更喜欢对称模型而非不对称模型，对模型的访问排名反映出对大的、对称花的偏好。这些结果为即使在没有传粉者回报的情况下对对称花模型的偏好提供了证据。
